Hall of Fame Team

1975 Men's Basketball Team

The 1974-75 Willamette men’s basketball team achieved a 24-5 record and won the NAIA District 2 Championship. In the Northwest Conference, the Bearcats were 11-3 and took second place. Willamette shot 71.3% as a team at the free throw line to set a school record at the time.

The team scored 114 points against Humboldt State on Dec. 27, 1974 and earned 66 rebounds versus Simon Fraser on Feb. 10, 1975. Five days later, the Bearcats earned 28 assists against the College of Idaho. Willamette’s season ended with a loss to Grand Canyon (Ariz.) in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament. WU averaged 79.7 points per game while allowing 73.9.

Head Coach Jim Boutin led the Bearcats to a 15-1 record at home in the first season at Cone Field House and was named Northwest Small College Coach of the Year. The Bearcats upset #2-seeded Lewis & Clark, 83-73, and then defeated #1-seeded Oregon Tech, 83-74, to win the NAIA District 2 Tournament.

Post player Mike Cashman was selected NAIA All-American and was Honorable Mention All-Coast for all divisions of play. He was chosen All-Northwest Conference and All-District 2. He was named District 2 MVP after averaging 19.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Cashman was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA.

Tune in to the Bearcat Network and watch live webcasts for select competitions and see live stats for nearly all Bearcat competitions. You can also find social media links like Facebook and twitter, rss feeds and video archives.